We met with a few wine friends to take a closer look at the heralded Bordeaux 1990 vintage. We had 21 wines from the left bank and 10 wines of the rigbht bank and 5 Sauternes. To make things even more interesting, we added a flight with 6 Napa Bordeaux blends and a 4 ringers, all from 1990 as well.
Tasting Notes
Flight 1 – 10x Bordeaux Right Bank
St.Emilion
1990 Château Angélus, 97 Points
This is the best bottle Angelus 1990 and the best out of the 28 Angelus vintages I‘ve tried to date, drinking on a 97+ pts level. The highlights are the high complexity paired with a superb balance and finesse. In my book it edged out all right banks in this tasting, having a slight edge over the Beausejour Duffau (96 pts), magnificent Petrus and Lafleur bottles (95 pts) which need a few more years to develop the same tertiary complexity and a touch ahead of the Evangile (95 pts) which has that but overall doesn‘t have the same concentration. Expressive nose full of leather, tobacco, some hints of brett, herbs and a strong minertality component. Super soft, sharply delineated. Wow. On the palate this is very soft, round with loads of tobacco, leather and some black truffle, a strong dark fruit core with fine red fruit, herbs and minerality. Very complex and highly precise. Melted tannins, good tension, medium+ Acidity, round and soft, creamy texture. Super balance and a long, long tobacco-driven finish with additional notes of herbs, truffles. The complete package. The wine gains concentration, sexiness, complexity with every minute in the glass.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 3 hours before the tasting which seemed perfect for this bottle.
1990 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse), 96 Points
This is my first time crossing path with this St. Emilion legend and it did not disappoint. At first it didn‘t show as spectacular, drinking probably on a 94 pts level but with time this started singing. Extraordinary concentration and substance, high precision and a fine structure (although not the same level of finesse as the best right banks). This is a rather Napa-esque expression of Bordeaux, a foreshadowing of the things coming in the years after but still on the elegant side. A hedonistic winner. Medium- expressive nose, lots of minerality and herbs with the fruit rather being in the background. Not much tertiary aromas on the nose. On the palate this much younger than the Angelus, with so much tension, soft but not yet fully melted tannins, good acidity, mostly fruit-driven, with minerality, herbs but with not much more. But with time in the glass the wines opens up, gains concentration, complexity (with some hints of tertiary aromas and layers of coffee, chocolate notes) and it gets rounder and creamier. Long lingering finish, impeccable balance from start to finish.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 3 hours before the tasting which was not quite enough. This bottle would have needed two, three hours in the decanter.
1990 Château Figeac, 91 Points
This Figeac is drinking nicely today thanks to an impeccable balance and a round structure. Missing for a higher score are more substance and a touch more creaminess and charm. Medium- expressive nose, getting a bit more expressive by the minute. Dark fruits, herbs, minerality, not much tertiary aromas, some hints of tobacco. Medium precise. On the palate this doesn‘t have the creaminess or depth to keep up with the Angelus and Beausejour Duffau in the same flight. Cool and fresh but not much complexity. The tannins are fine, the acidity is medium and quite round and overall its well balanced. Just nothing spectacular.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 3 hours before the tasting which seemed ok. Maybe one or two hours in the decanter would have been even better.
1990 Château Grand Mayne, 93 Points
This is my first time trying a Grand Mayne and it was a more than convincing performance. One of the positive surprises of the tasting, this showed great tertiary aromas with a sweet fruit core. On the downside, it misses a touch of precision and finesse. Still, this is a wonderful wine. Cool, classic, rather left bank nose with lots of tobacco, some truffles and lots of minerality wrapped around a dark fruit core. The nose hints at a quite angular experience but it still quite inviting. On the palate this shows quite well, cool and fresh for a St. Emilion with ripe red berries, some blue berries, herbs, minerality, tobacco and truffles. Not in the intensity or precision of the big wines. The tannins are round but noticeable, the acidity is medium- but fine, a rather short finish. Overall quite a success. 92/93 pts.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 3 hours before the tasting which seemed perfect.
1990 Château Magdelaine, 91 Points
I’ve never had a Magdelaine before but I can see why people rave about this producer. It is so classic, fresh with tons of minerality and structure which sets this wine apart from so many other right banks. It’s not very complex but still fun to drink – although I liked it more than the rest of the group. Very particular nose with quite cool and fresh fruit, herbs, minerality. On the palate this show quite nice with, superb freshness, classic, minerality-driven. Lots of fun to drink. Classic. It doesn’t have depth of the big names, it doesn’t have the sexiness, but that classicism and coolness sets this wine apart.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 3 hours before the tasting which seemed enough to open the wine up.
Pomerol
A fabulous quartet of 1990 Pomerols side by side showed incredibly strong.
With a lot of typicality, these wines are so sensual and hedonistic and at the same time very elegant. Winner was a complex and complete Petrus (96 pts), a touch ahead of the intense and still young Lafleur (95 pts) and nicely matured, complex Evangile (95 pts). The Trotanoy (93 pts) was a tad weaker as it showed less substance compared to the others. I’m sure, following these wines over an evening would have been great and the scores would be higher. All 4 wines were a bit shy on the nose and only started singing with additional time in the glass and swirling.
1990 Château Lafleur, 95 Points
Very subtle, fine nose full of dark fruit power and minerality, herbs, stems and cola and slightly meaty notes. On the palate this is so pure and round, fresh and weightless with intense dark red, dark fruits, floral aromas, with time so much bright red fruits and flroal aromas, some meaty notes. The finishis long but not really impresive. This is great, this is fine, overall wonderful with the highlights being the absolute elegance. Probably missing a touch complexity and length for a higher rating.
– Decanting: Quick double decant three+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. This would have needed more time in the decanter. 2-3 hours at least.
1990 Château L’Evangile, 95 Points
Rather dark and slightly dusty nose, tobacco, black truffle, herbs and minerality. Quite nice but not perfectly precise. On the palate this is so creamy, so soft and elegant with meaty notes, red berries, very floral, everything is not too ripe but very fresh, additional notes of herbs, minerality, tobacco and spices. So feminine and elegant, balanced and with melted tannins and good freshness. Wow.
– Decanting: Quick double decant three+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. This would have needed more time in the decanter. 2-3 hours at least.
1990 Pétrus, 96 Points
Rather muted nose. Dark fruits and minerality but not very precise and open. On the palate this shines very bright with an absolute Merlot weightlessness, super finesse, completely melted tannins, hardly noticeable but medium+ freshness, so balanced and round nose. The sweet fruit is perfect, so much sexy Bordeaux chocolate aromas. This is hedonistic but still so elegant. This is 96+ pts, it would be 97+ if it wouldn‘t be for the nose. I would have love to drink that with a few hours in the decanter. So much potential.
– Decanting: Quick double decant three+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. This would have needed more time in the decanter. 2-3 hours at least.
1990 Château Trotanoy, 93 Points
Not very expressive nose. On the palate this is fresh and round, very floral and light, chocolate and red berries, some minerality but it‘s all about weightlessness and finesse. Unfrotunately, the substance does not reach the same heights as the Lafleur or Petrus in the same flight.
– Decanting: Quick double decant three+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. This would have needed more time in the decanter. 2-3 hours at least.
1990 Château La Grave a Pomerol Trigant de Boisset, 92 Points
From magnum. Not a winery I’m familiar with, this was easy, quaffable, fun to drink. In its prime, with nice tertiary a notes and a melted structure as the highlights. Quite undefined nose, some crushed rocks, faint hints of tobacco. All quite soft and without intensity or precision. On the palate this shows a superb freshness, good tension, slightly coarse tannins, fine creaminess, superb balance. Not so deep but with a beautifull sweetness and a nice tertiary, with some additions of herbs and stones and a nice, fruit-driven finish infused with tobacco notes. 92/93 pts.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 4 hours before the tasting which was enough.
Flight 2 – 21x Bordeaux Left Bank
1990 Château Pape Clément, 94 Points
Pape Clement usually convinces in larger tastings as it is all about instant hedonistic pleasure and less about nuances which have to be unpacked and discovered over an evening. This 1990 was no exception. Peakish, beautifully mature, ripe fruit and a creamy texture. A crowd pleaser. Sexy mature nose, medium expressive, with ripe fruit, some leather and tobacco notes. Quite pleasant, missing a touch of intensity and precision. On the palate more exiciting with superb freshness, round but not melted tannins, nice creamy texture, no excess weight but not weightless either. The complexity is medium only with tobacco, leather, earth, ripe dark and brighter red fruit, minerality. Quite layered, well definied, drinking beautifully today and at its peak. The finish is rather on the shorter side, otherwise this would have been 95 pts.
– Decanting: Quick double decant two+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. It didn‘t need more than that.
1990 Domaine de Chevalier, 87 Points
No winner for DdC in 1990, or at least this bottle wasn’t. The freshness is the star but other than that, there isn‘t much else. Not very expressive or precise on the nose. On the palate this is very fresh and seems much younger also to some green aromas mixing with the ripe fruit. Rather short.
– Decanting: Quick double decant two+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. Won‘t get better with more air.
Winner of the HB trilogy and the best wine of the tasting overall was the spectacular Mission
It was full of telltale Pessac tobacco and truffles. Layered, intense, sharp, creamy and vivid, long, superbly complete. The HB (95 pts) showed younger and less complex but my guess is that it should get to the level of the Mission with more air and/or age. The La Tour HB (91 pts) was good but with less in every category and it didn’t show enough finesse
1990 Château La Tour Haut-Brion, 91 Points
Not overly expressive nose with dark fruit, minerality, smoke. On the palate it shows lots of structure, freshness, still slightly angular tannins but balanced by a nice creaminess. Medium complexity with fresh dark fruit, herbs, minerality, smoke and not yet much tertiary aromas. Overall quite nice but without anything exceptional. For more it would need more finesse and complexity.
– Decanting: Quick double decant two+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. Maybe 2, 3 hours in the decanter would have helped to make things smoother.
1990 Château La Mission Haut-Brion, 98 Points
Not overly expressive nose with dark fruit, minerality, smoke. On the palate it shows lots of structure, freshness, still slightly angular tannins but balanced by a nice creaminess. Medium complexity with fresh dark fruit, herbs, minerality, smoke and not yet much tertiary aromas.
1990 Château Haut-Brion, 95 Points
A less expressive nose than the Mission with dark fruits dominating. With time more minerality which is good. Better on the palate with a brighter red fruits, dark fruits, some tobacco, herbs and lots of minerality. Not yet as much tertiary greatness compared to the Mission 1990 in the next glass but a beautiful bright sweetness carrying the wine from start to finish. A highlight is a minty note which lends additional freshness to the wine and carries on in the long finish (although not as intense, complex, long as the Mission). Overall this wine showed very good but did not exude greatness like the Mission with a bit less substance and complexity but this should gain further with more age (and a longer decant).
– Decanting: Quick double decant two+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. Could have used a proper two, three+ hours in the decanter (HB usually needs time to unfold).
1990 Château Gruaud Larose, 92 Points
This is a good vintage for Gruaud but not on the same level as the truly great vintages of 2000 and of course especially the legendary 1982. More depth to complement the great fruit and fine structure and this could have been a true winner. Nevertheless, still a wine I would be happy to drink every day. Not overly expressive nose with some dark fruits, minerality showing but not much more. On the palate it has a beautiful sweetness, ripe dark red and dark berries, some herbs and minerality and just hints of leather and tobacco. Overall quite short and not very deep but still pleasurable. Finely melted tannins, good freshness, nicely creamy texture. Good but not great.
– Decanting: Quick double decant two+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. Quite open, doesn‘t need an extensive decanting.
1990 Château Léoville Barton, 90 Points
Classic like always with fresh fruit, lots of minerality and a slightly muscular or angular structure. A true Barton. Just not enough depth and length to keep up with the best left banks in 1990 but still a good wine. I still hope that this was just not an overly expressive bottle and that the Barton 1990 has a bit more in store. Classic dark fruit, crushed rocks and minerality-driven nose. On the palate this is also very short and rather simple. Not enough substance which the good structural frame with rounded out tannins and a good freshness can not compensate for.
– Decanting: Quick double decant two+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. Maybe a bit more air would have helped to bring out one or the other additional nuance.
1990 Château Sociando-Mallet, Flawed
Unfortunately, badly corked. This would have been my first Sociando ever and I wanted to see what all the fuzz is about.
1990 Château Margaux, 92 Points
I was looking forward to revisit this legend as my previous bottle seemed in an awkward stage, not showing much. Unfortunately, this bottle was similar. Little expression, little excitement. Better just wait a few years. TN: Not very expressive nose. Ripe dark fruits, slightly too ripe probably for my taste. On the palate much more open, fine dark berries, red berries, herbs, minerality. This Margaux is in this rather dumb phase, with the fruit retracted, not really open, no tertiary aromas showing. Hard to judge the potential on this. I hope to catch an open and singing bottle, this one is not one. Just based on the pleasure it delivered today, it was at best a 91/92 pts experience.
– Decanting: Quick double decant three+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. I‘m not sure if a long decanting would have helped as with the last bottle no amount of decanting changed anything.
1990 Château Palmer, 94 Points
This Palmer is a very good wine. Clearly outshining the Margaux in the next glass, this had all the telltale Margaux appellation traits with superb finesse, high purity of fruit, floral aromas from start to finish and a touch of sexiness. Today, the magical 1989 Palmer is a few steps ahead as it is more mature with all the tertiary complexity that is still a bit missing in the 1990 but the potential seems great. Some minty notes, herbs. Only with time more and more power and intensity shows up with loads of ripe dark fruit, lots of herbs and crushed rocks. On the palate this is floral and light, round and with a touch of sexiness, balancing minerality and herbs component but the star is the bright fruit and florality. Ultra fine tannins (which were at first still noticeable), very good freshness, round and well-integrated, good creaminess. This is a success. 94+ pts.
– Decanting: Quick double decant three+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. The wine needed a bit of time in the glass to fully open. I think 2, 3 hours in the decanter might be right.
1990 Château Clerc Milon, 93 Points
This was one of the positive surprises only missing more elegance and softness and some tertiary complexity to reach a higher score. Very Pauillac, young, fresh and with all telltale Pauillac aromatics. For sure the best Clerc Milon I’ve had to date. Fresh, quite dense and intense dark berries, sexy, ripe, toasty, herbs and minerality to complement that ripe fruit. Both on the nose and palate this is so dense, fresh and young, that I would have guessed this to be a 2000 or younger. Impeccably structured and with a good, medium+ length finish. Strong 93 pts.
– Decanting: Quick double decant three+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment, which seemed sufficient.
1990 Château Haut-Batailley, Flawed
This bottle was over. Lots of soy sauce and oxidative notes on the nose.
1990 Château Haut-Bages Libéral, 91 Points
My first time drinking and Haut Bages Liberal. This showed quite good and complete, even if it is not a very complex wine and a tad short. I would happily order this vintage of any restaurant list. Not very expressive nose with dark fruits and minerality. Better on the palate with lots of freshness, good fruit sweetness, balanced by herbs and minerality, fine tannins, good creamy texture and enough lift to keep it elegant. Very good. 91+ pts.
– Decanting: Quick double decant three+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment, which seemed sufficient.
1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron, 94 Points
Wow, this was a lot of fun to drink. The archetype Pauillac with loads of graphite minerality and dark fruit. Very high precision, a touch of sexiness to balance that masculinity. Easily 94 pts today but my guess is, once this is fully mature with lots more tertiary aromas, this could become an almost perfect wine. Yes, the Lafite (95 pts) in the next glass will always be more elegant and similarly shaped Latour (95+ pts) next to it, has a little bit more in every category but will probably need 2, 3 more decades to reach the peak, whereas the Baron should be there much earlier. Very dark, dense, minerality and fresh dark fruit driven nose. Archetype Pauillac. So much graphite on the nose. On the palate this is great with so much cedar and graphite, young, dense, dark fruit core. Slightly angular tannins which have to melt further, superb freshness, such a round acidity. Impeccable balance. Good length. Great and complete wine.
– Decanting: Quick double decant three+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. Improved further in the glass. My guess is, 2-3 hours in the decanter should be sufficient.
Latour and Lafite side by side, unsurprisingly, the Lafite was about delicacy and finesse, while the Latour was bold and beautiful.
1990 Château Lafite Rothschild, 95 Points
This is one of the better Lafites I‘ve had to date but it‘s not a wine for a dinner with many people or many wines. Is such a subtle wine that it seems imperative to have it alone or with just two people and follow it over hours to catch all nuances. 95 pts easily today, I‘m not sure if the wine has much more upside from here (will there be enough fruit left once all tertiary aromas kick in?). Rather muted nose. Only with time more open but always not super expressive and very delicate. On the palate this is very mineralic, so much crushed rocks, graphite, herbs and a dark fruit core. Very fine and Burgundian in style, this is all about finesse (in a Pauillac context). The concentration is impressive. The sweetness only comes out with more time. Giving the wine a good balance it didn‘t had at the start. Very complete wine with a long finish with minerality and dark berries.
– Decanting: Quick double decant three+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. This needed more time in the glass and some swirling to come out of its shell. Give it time, 2+ hours in the decanter at least.
1990 Château Latour Grand Vin, 95 Points
This wine is nowhere near its peak but with a bit of air is still drinking well. Could very well become a (close to) perfect wine in 2, 3 decades. It has the structure, the fruit, the complexity and misses tetiary notes and a more softened structure to get there. On the palate this is so Pauillac with crushed rocks, graphite cedar, herbs, a dark cassis core, some blue fruit and floral aromas. Some first hints of tobacco emerging but overall this remains young with an impeccable structure which will allow for long, graceful ageing. Loads of round, fine tannins, high acidity, already slightly creamy, super weightlessness but with lots of tension and aromatic intensity. Long finish but not as spectacular as the Mission. 95/96 pts and certainly more is possible once the wine is mature.
– Decanting: Quick double decant three+ hours prior to the tasting to remove sediment. Was drinking well but my guess is that it would have been even better with more air.
1990 Château Cos d’Estournel, 93 Points
This Cos has the fruit, sweetness and balance and texture which are beautiful. The depth and precision are not on par with the best 1990s but let the tertiary complexity kick in and then it should drink on a 94/95 pts level. I prefer the 1989 I’ve had a few months back (rated 96) which was much better delineated. But that was from magnum which might be an unfair comparison. Medium- expressive nose with dark fruits, coffee, spices. Medium precision only but still hinting at the potential which showed better on the palate. Fresh dark and red berries, minerality, some herbs. Again hints of coffee but especially some Cos spices. Medium- complexity and good precision. The tannins are molten, good tension, medium and well-rounded acidity, good balance and medium length with a beautiful fruit-driven finish. The longer it sit in the glass, the better, more harmonious and creamier it got.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 3 hours before the tasting. The wine improved markedly in the glass, opened up more and became better integrated, lighter and creamier. This bottle could have easily needed 2-3 hours in the decanter.
1990 Château Montrose, 95 Points
One of the highlights of the left bank, this Montrose 1990 showed incredibly young, much younger than the other bottles I had in the past two years. Hardly any tertiary development and not yet completely melted tannins and the perfect creaminess the best, more mature 1990s Montrose achieve. Still, this was great to drink with the depth and purity as highlights. 94/95 pts today, which is some steps away from the almost perfect level this wine can achieve. Deep, dark, dense, spicy, herbal. The nose is far away from what Montrose 90 can deliver. With time more open but lots of herbs and minty notes drive the nose. On the palate this is better as it is a bit more open. Superb precision, which is the highlight, so much freshness, minty and herbal notes, a touch of coffee and a dark fruit core. So well delineated. Loads of round, velvety tannins, high but superbly round tannins, nice creaminess which will only get more and better, long lasting finish with fruit, herbs and minerality. Beside some hints of tobacco, this had almost no tertiary notes. So much life left.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 3 hours before the tasting. As is true with the 1989, this 1990 usually needs many hours in the decanter to shine. I think this bottle would have been better with 4-5h decant.
1990 Château Phélan Ségur, 93 Points
Are all Phelan Segur that fun to drink? I don’t own any and I’ve only ever two vintages, but this 1990, drinking at its peak, is so round and creamy, fresh and light, you could drink liters of it. Herbal and meaty driven nose with a nice dark fruit core. Not super precise but with a good intensity. On the palate this is very round, soft, fresh. A nice sweetness and good balance, melted tannins and good freshness. A beautiful creaminess and quite a long lasting, although not well delineated finish. Fun to drink.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 3 hours before the tasting which seemed perfect.
1990 Château Haut-Bailly, Flawed
From magnum. Dead, soy sauce, oxidative nose.
1990 Château Mouton Rothschild, 94 Points
From Magnum. From an era where Mouton was not on the same level as it is today and in selected vintages before. The nose had a lot of what makes Mouton great, especially that touch of sexiness with burnt sugar notes which builds such a perfect combination with masculinity and classic proportion of Pauillac wines. The palate showed a bit less promising but still, from magnum, this showed very, very good. A typical Mouton nose with burnt sugar, ripe dark fruits, additional layers of minerality. A touch wild. But quite nice and with a touch of the Mouton sexiness. On the palate this is super fresh, round with lots velvety tannins, so much creaminess. Layers of ripe dark fruits, some red berries, meaty notes, herbs, wet earth round. The finish is not overly impressive and overall the wine is not super clean and not perfectly ripe but still easily 94/95 pts.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 4 hours before the tasting. It didn’t need more and didn’t change much over 45+ minutes in the glass.
Flight 3 – 5x Sauternes
We tasted five 1990 Sauternes. I expected quite complex wines with in many cases not an ideal acidity level due to the hot vintage.
Indeed they showed quite expressive and complex but the majority of the wines showed also quite fresh. Only the Rabaud Promis (90 pts) and the Doisy Daene from magnum but not from the 750 bottle (91 pts vs 93 pts) showed a touch too oily. Winner, and as so often, the only Sauternes combining intensity, complexity and weightlessness was the Yquem (97 pts). Tied for the second rank were a strong Rieussec (94 pts) and the most mature wine of all the De Fargues (94 pts). All in all, quite a positive experience. 1990 is a lot of fun but will likely be not the most long-lasting vintage.
1990 Château de Fargues, 94 Points
Not overly expressive on the nose. Only with time more aromas come out making it a bit more interesting. I guess this would have been better with a long decant (was not decanted). But on the palate this is on right from the go. Lots of intense, perfect malty notes, coffee, tea, with a fresh fruit core as a balance with quince, apricots and beautiful saffron component. Very good precision. Good freshness which keeps the wine relatively light (but not Yquem style weightless). This would have been a 95/96 wine at least, if it wouldn’t be for the rather muted nose. 94 pts.
– Decanting: 2+ hours in the decanter advised
1990 Château Doisy-Daëne, 92 Points
TN: 0.75 btl: Very expressive bright, fruit-driven nose and palate with loads of quince, grapefruit, baked apple, quite high acidity. This renders the wine into a vivid, fresh, medium complex, still quite young wine which is fun to drink but has more upside with age. Magnum: Very intense saffron, flower, peach but some alcohol notes on the nose. Quite sweet and too broad. On the palate, this shows also a bit too sweet with ripe apricot, quince, baked apple and again lots of beautiful saffron. Not the most complex one and a touch to sweet and oily. Still, quite pleasurable. The 750s wins the race 91/92 pts
– Decanting: Not decanted, little change over 40 minutes in the glass.
1990 Château Rabaud-Promis, 90 Points
Slightly cardboard with ripe fruit on the nose. On the palate a touch better but rather fat and oily and with not as much depth as the others. 89/90 pts
– Decanting: Not decanted, little change over 40 minutes in the glass.
1990 Château Rieussec, 94 Points
Typical Rieussec nose with fresh apple, apricot, slightly cardboard notes I often find in Rieussec and I don’t like at all. Luckily, with more time in the glass, that moved into the background. On the palate this is very intense from start to finish with full quince, baked apple, apricot aromas and lots of saffron and a ton of spices. No carboard notes whatsoever. Very fresh and quite great and quaffable, missing just a touch of lightness to reach a higher score. 94+
– Decanting: Not decanted, good from the go.
1990 Château d’Yquem, 97 Points
Wow. While the nose could be more expressive, the wine explodes upon touching you tongue with layers and layers of fresh, pure fruit, malty notes, spices, superb boytritis saffron notes. Compared to the others, this is so much ligher, absolutely weightless in Sauternes terms. Fresh and vivid with lots of tension and cut from the attack into the long-lingering finish. This is not as complex as the best vintages but is so much fun to drink today.
– Decanting: Not decanted. This needed about 25 minutes in the glass, hence my guess is that this needs an hour or two in the decanter to fully shine.
Flight 4 – 2x White dry
1990 Nikolaihof Riesling Smaragd Vom Stein zu Mautern, 94 Points
This was certainly a positive surprise for me as I don’t have much experience with Austrian whites and the experience I have isn’t that good. I usually didn’t like the aroma profile (not in young and not in older wines). This wine, however, was great. Full of life, very clean aromas, creamy yet zesty and full of verve. Great to drink, missing a touch complexity to reach the 95 pts category. Medium intense nose with citrus hints, scents of petrol and a good minerality. On the palate this shows a wonderful creaminess, more power and precision than on the palate, a still piercing but superbly round acidity. Good weight from start to the long finish with apple and citrus, lots of minerality as the main components. Complete and balanced.
– Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed. Good from the go.
1990 Château Margaux Pavillon Blanc, 91 Points
I’ve experienced other white Bordeaux from the pre-premox era before and they age at a glacial pace. Blind, you would have never guessed this to be a 30+ year old white wine (probably a 10 year old max). It was nice but a bit on the light side of things and not overly complex or exciting. Rather muted nose. A bit more open on the palate with citrus and lime, limestone minerality and some sweeter oak notes. Quite round and pleasant, young and fresh, doesn‘t seem to age. Slight creamy. A bit simple.
– Decanting: Not decanted, maybe a long decant would have changed things here.
Flight 5 – 6x Napa Cabernet
1990 was not an overly exciting vintage in Napa Valley, clearly overshadowed by the 91/92/94 vintages. Almost all of the wines are past peak with not enough fruit left.
In addition the vintages misses a bit of charm and creaminess and remains rather on the astringent side of things. The only star was the Heitz Martha’s Vineyard (94 pts) which showed complex, savoury, balanced and creamy with that typical Martha’s mint kick. Opus (92 pts) and Heitz Bella Oaks (91 pts) were still ok, while the La Jota Howell Mt (86 pts) and Simi Reserve (87 pts) and Latour Beaulieu Reserve (dead) were past peak.
1990 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks, 91 Points
Intense, aged Cali nose with very ripe dark berries, herbs, meaty notes which might turn shortly into soy sauce and broth. But right now still on the good side of things. Slightly alcoholic. On the palate a good freshness, nice herbs and minty freshness, some herbs and leather, some tobacco. A touch fresher and younger on the nose, good structural frame, nicely creamy, good length. 90/91 pts.
– Decanting: No decanting needed.
1990 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve, Flawed
Oxidative nose. Dead.
1990 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, 86 Points
Medium expressive nose full of herbs, minty notes, minerality. No depth. On the palate at first better, fresh dark cassis fruit, minerality, herbs, no tertiary aromas. Overall quite pleasant and fine with a fine structure and good tenison but not enough substance to truly excite. At first 92-ish pts. But with time rather more broth/soy sauce notes, pointing towards a fast decline.
1990 Opus One, 92 Points
Not overly expressive nose. Not much detectable. Dark, dense and with some crushe rocks. On the palate lots of dark, cool, fresh fruit, crushed rocks. But not enough creamines and no depth. Freshness is good but overall the wine is a touch astringent like all 1990s we had tonight. Still this had still some life left and a good fruit core. Fun to drink.
– Decanting: No decanting needed.
1990 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Alexander Valley, 87 Points
Astringent nose. A touch alcohol, lots of freshness. Not an exciting nose. On the palate this is fresh, Pauillac like with loads of minerality, herbs but missing the roundness of the tannins, missing the creaminess and the complexity. On the downhill, got worse and less clean by the minute.
1990 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard, 94 Points
Archetypal MV nose with so much fresh mint and eucalyptus. On the palate the same aromas. So much mint freshness, balance by a nice fruit core, minerality, some meaty notes, and spices. Melted tannins, the only 90 Napa tonight with a real nice creaminess and the same freshness the others have. This is complete, balanced, long and a treat to drink. The palate would deserve 95 pts, the nose is not expressive enough. 94 pts
– Decanting: No decanting needed.
Flight 6 – 4x Others
1990 Domenico Clerico Langhe Arte, 84 Points
From magnum. Over-the-hill nose. Soy sauce, broth, oxidative. Seemed dead. On the palate this was still alive and drinkable but also with some faulty notes. Took a sip, let the rest breath for an hour without much change. Faulty notes were still there. In my opinion this is not a faulty bottle. The wine is just past its peak (others, probably with a higher tolerance for oxidative and soy sauce notes in wine, were drinking their glasses).
1990 Château Bouscassé Madiran Vieilles Vignes, 89 Points
I think this might have been my first Tannat ever. More interesting as it is different from what I drink usually, than really good. The highlight was the quite well-rounded and balanced structural frame, which often seems to be a problem with this grape, according to our host. Reading the other notes here, a long decant might have opened-up the wine more and bring out more complexity. The nose gives the impression that this will be a dark, dense, tannic monster, with high alcohol and lots of herbs and minerality. The palate brings some vindication but shows a bit simple with lots ripe dark fruits, and loads of minerality but not much more. The tannins are round(er than anticipated), the acidity is medium+ and well-integrated and the balance is quite good.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 4 hours before the tasting. Maybe a few hours in the decanter would have helped to bring out more complexity.
1990 E. Guigal Hermitage, 93 Points
This is a lovely aged Syrah, drinking in its absolute prime. The fruit is still fresh, the tertiary complexity has nicely kicked-in and the structure melted beautifully together. On the palate, however, the promises made with the expressive and layered nose are not kept. A step down from the best Syrahs and Guigal’s LaLaLas but I would still drink it every day. 92/93 pts. Very intense nose with loads of black pepper and meaty notes, a strong herbal component, tobacco and anise and a black fruit core in the background. This is so archetype Syrah. And with very good precision. On the palate this is so fresh, with melted tannins, superb round freshness, so creamy, no excess weight. Quite perfect structure. The aromas are not as clean and nice as on the nose. And the complexity is medium- only but still good.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 4 hours before the tasting which seemed about right. The wine was open and singing from the go.
1990 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia, 91 Points
From magnum. Others said that this a great Sassicaia. I didn’t had the same experience and thought this might be another overrated vintage of this Cuvee and also rather shallow and not interesting enough. Maybe proper aeration would have helped to bring out more. Don’t get me wrong, this was good, just without any hint of exceptionalism. Dark fruit, lots of minerality on the not so charming nose. On the palate this is better. Well-defined dark and red fruits, some crushed rocks, almost no tertiary aromas. Not much depth, medium precision. Light as most Sassicaias are with relatively fine tannins and probably a touch high on the acidity. But overall ok balance, missing a touch of creaminess to bring it all together. Medium length finish with a touch of sweet dark fruit.
– Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 4 hours before the tasting. Maybe a proper decant, 4-5 hours would have been helpful to bring out more layers.
Author: Andy Schnyder
April 2022